Tina Anderson Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

22nd March 202519th February 2025

Northeast series: Evening shows on Radio Carousel Navan

Radio Carousel Navan began broadcasting in early 1982 as an offshoot of the original Dundalk station, as owner Hugh Hardy expanded his regional radio network in the northeast. By 1982, there were four Carousel stations in Dundalk, Drogheda, Navan and on the border aimed at Newry. The Navan station was based in a glass kiosk in the town’s new shopping centre, so had excellent visibility for its audience.

This short airchecked recording from 1982 begins with Tina Anderson, who signs off at the end of Country Call shortly before 2000. She is followed by Robbie Byrne on his final show on the station and finally by Caroline Carter with Late Night Radio until midnight. Familiar Carousel DJs are heard voicing adverts for businesses around the town. The tape ends with the Radio Carousel theme tune Don’t Stop the Carousel by Roy Taylor and the Nevada.

The recording was made by Kieran Murray, former manager of the station, from 1386 kHz AM (announcing 210 metres) on September 22^nd 1982 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Audio quality is fair, with some cassette wobble after more than 40 years. After Hugh Hardy began winding down the Carousel network in 1987, the Navan station was the last outlet to close in 1988.

16th January 202415th January 2024

Northeast series: Radio Carousel Navan as heard in Donegal

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Radio Carousel Navan was one of four stations in the Carousel network at its height in the early 1980s. The original Dundalk operation was set up by the late Hugh Hardy in 1978 and later expanded to satellite stations for Drogheda (Co. Louth), Navan (Co. Meath) and Newry (Co. Armagh and Co. Down), with a short-lived experiment in Castleblayney (Co. Monaghan). The Navan station had a high-profile location in the middle of the town’s shopping centre. Hugh Hardy began winding down the Carousel network from late 1987 and the Navan station was the last to close in June 1988.

This recording of Radio Carousel Navan was made by from 1386 kHz by station manager Kieran Murray while on holidays in Carrick, Co. Donegal, about 170km to the northwest. As expected, the signal is weak but is nonetheless an interesting example of daytime groundwave reception on a busy pirate frequency, shared with Kilkenny Community Radio and North Cork Community Radio. The Carousel AM transmiter was situated in the Navan shopping centre and ran about 400 watts. On air is Tina Anderson (Christine Reilly) with a requests programme and the voices of Kieran Murray and another DJ Mike Ahern (Richard McCullen) are heard on adverts.

The tape was made from about 1100 on 3^rd July 1984 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

16th May 20222nd May 2024

Coverage of 1983 raids on pirate stations

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Raids by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs on the super-pirates Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio on 18^th and 19^th May 1983 rocked the Irish radio scene. Panic spread throughout the country’s pirate stations in anticipation of further raids, and many stations took the precaution of closing down temporarily.

One of the larger stations, Radio Carousel in Dundalk, celebrated its 5^th birthday around the same time, on 20^th May 1983. Kieran Murray, who ran the Radio Carousel operation in Navan, Co. Meath, made recordings from RTÉ and other stations in the week of the raids. The first part of the recording above is from Wednesday 18^th May and begins with part of the 1.15 lunchtime news from Boyneside Radio in Drogheda, followed by the 1.30 RTÉ Radio 1 report on the raids. Kieran then records a conversation with Hugh O’Brien of Radio Nova, who had been trying to reach Carousel boss Hugh Hardy all morning. The recording continues with extracts from Thursday 19^th May: the report of the raid on Sunshine Radio on RTÉ and an interview by Radio Carousel’s Christine Reilly (Tina Anderson) with Bill McLoughlin of Sunshine Radio.

Part 2 below includes an interview with Hugh Hardy on Paul Clarke’s programme on BBC Radio Ulster on 19^th May, followed by the 6pm news on Radio Carousel Navan. The recording ends with part of the RTÉ Radio 1 news at 6.30 on 22^nd May.

Interview with Hugh Hardy, Radio Carousel Navan, RTÉ coverage.

These recordings are from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.